Build Foundational Skills

Building Foundational Technology Skills for Lifelong Success

Education Teachers Typing Games Typing Speed
Stephanie Calcott

One question we hear from teachers regularly, is “Do my students really need to learn how to type?”. With new technology like speech-to-text, how important is it to learn proper keyboarding skills?

Very important. 

Typing is a foundational skill. Think of it like learning to tie your shoes. Of course there are slip on shoes and velcro shoes, but at some point, you will probably need to learn how to tie a shoe.

The foundational skill of typing is one that students will use in all aspects of their lives. Many students now take standardized tests online, which must be typed. The student who knows the keyboard will inevitably do better than the one who has to hunt and peck her answers out. Older students will be required to write papers, and knowing how to type will be instrumental in speeding up this process. Eventually, our students will be attempting to build a career – and it will not be easy for them to create their CV with speech-to-text technology.

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Important Information about the Typing.com Curriculum Page

Digital Skills Site update Teachers
Stephanie Calcott

Attention Typing.com teachers! As you know, we have added an extensive digital literacy curriculum to Typing.com – including Coding, Career Skills, Computer Basics, Internet Safety, and more. And, now that we have all this great new content, we want to make sure that it’s easy for you to find and use!

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Do Keyboarding Skills Improve Student Test Scores?

Education Keyboards Teachers
Stephanie Calcott

Written by Beth Budinich – Typing.com Teacher Champion

Proficient keyboarding skills are an example of a background skill that may have quite an impact on test scores as students are doing more and more online testing. 

While it can be hard to quantify the effect it may have, there are studies that show there is an effect. Also, teachers that are administering tests speak to the benefits of their students being efficient at keyboarding. Students proficient at keyboarding also notice their ease of focusing on their writing instead of on the mechanics of keyboarding.

From the South African Journal of Education Vol. 26(2)281-293 2006, is a keyboarding study by Elsie Lubbe, Jan Monteith and Elsa Mentz called “The Relationship Between keyboarding skills and self-regulated learning”. 

This study defines keyboarding skills as: “The ability of learners to key in information into the memory of the computer with the minimum effort and energy use.” 

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Teaching Typing

Creating a Classroom Where Students are Happy and Focused

Digital Skills Education Teachers
Stephanie Calcott

Dear Ask a Teacher,

How can I create a positive and productive classroom environment for all my students? I want my students to feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas without fear of ridicule or risk of censure.

Sincerely,

Positively In Charge

Hello, Positively in charge!

Teachers play an important role in setting the classroom environment. In fact, the way students interact with each other and the work in front of them is largely dictated by this it. And creating a positive class environment is invaluable for building trust and getting results.

When it comes to setting a positive classroom culture, a good place to start is with core values.

Which values, mindsets, and people skills do you want to encourage? If you can settle on three to four core values to consistently model and reinforce in your classroom, you’re likely to end up with the environment you want.

Below are four of the most popular core values along with ideas on how to make them part of your class culture.

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Are You Ready For Digital Citizenship Week?

Digital Skills Education Teachers
Stephanie Calcott

October 14-19 is Digital Citizenship week!

Although we should help students understand how to be good digital citizens throughout the year, Digital Citizenship Week is great opportunity to reinforce the important behaviors and actions that make up good digital citizens. 

But, what is a good digital citizen?

There are many definitions of a good digital citizen. Perhaps the most comprehensive definition is as follows:

A good digital citizen is a person with the skills and knowledge to effectively use digital technologies to participate in society, communicate with others, and create and consume digital content.

Below are some things to consider when educating your students on the important responsibilities digital citizenship.

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Meet the Typing.com Educator Champions!

Education Teachers
Stephanie Calcott

 Introducing the Typing.com Educator Champions.

We strive to build Typing.com to be the most effective and useful tool possible for educators. In order to do this, we have implemented an ambassador program, consisting of Typing.com “power users” – people who use the product every day and can help us understand what teachers and administrators want and need in a typing and digital literacy program

These educator champions serve as trusted advisors, to us, and to other educators. What does that mean?:

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Teaching Typing

The Most Successful Teachers Aren’t Afraid To Ask For Help.

Digital Skills Education Fun Facts Teachers Teaching Tips Typing Tips
Stephanie Calcott

In a recent study of elementary school teachers completed by Northwestern University, the most successful teachers were the ones who reached out to other teachers for advice and assistance. And their fellow teachers are happy to share their wisdom and experience!

“Ask a Teacher” is a new segment within the Typing.com blog, created to help teachers continue to share and collaborate. This monthly article will answer the questions our teacher-readers pose to us and each other.  Continue reading “The Most Successful Teachers Aren’t Afraid To Ask For Help.” →

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Practical Ideas You Can Use With Your Own Class!

Education Teachers Typing Tips
Stephanie Calcott

Educators at every level appreciate a little support here and there, especially support that has the potential to make their job a little easier. 

Today, we’re happy to make available to you, two free e-books designed to help in the classroom in two different areas: 

  • The Digital Communication Skills Your Students Need to Succeed
  • How to Successfully Manage Students and Computers in the Classroom

Both books are straightforward and packed with practical recommendations, courtesy of educators’ experiences in their own classrooms. They’re available to download in PDF format.

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